Glidepath The quarterly newsletter of the Canadian Museum of Flight Issue #109 Summer 2011

Restoration Progress, Times Two

It is exciting to report substantial, visible progress on not just one but two long standing restoration projects at the Canadian Museum of Flight. Glidepath readers have been following progress on the Fleet Canuck restoration, and there is more to report on that project. Another restoration, that of our Waco INF, has taken a back seat to the Canuck for the past two years, but is now active and surging ahead.

Fleet Canuck

The Fleet Canuck is now mechanically complete. The long process of rebuilding parts and fabricating new parts as required culminated in fabrication of wing leading edge skins and wingtip bows and skins, and adjustment of the attachment point on one wing strut.

The aircraft was assembled to ensure correct fit of all components. All snags noted by our AME were cleared, and the aircraft declared ready for fabric covering,

The CMF Fleet Canuck back on its gear during its trial assembly.

The Canuck has been disassembled and placed in storage until September, at which time the fabric will be applied under the leadership of Ray Fessenden and Werner Griesbeck. … continued on Page 3

Members of the Fleet Canuck restoration in front of the assembled aircraft. Left to right: Chris Ryan, John Harssema, Hank Koehler, Ray Fessenden, Ralph Rowe, Bill Butler.

John Harssema admires the Canuck’s new wing and tip skins.

Waco INF

The Museum has owned a 1930 vintage Waco INF, the oldest airworthy example in Western Canada, since 1979. A few years ago this aircraft was taken out of service for refurbishment and was for a while the focus of our restoration efforts.

As is normal in aircraft restoration, much work was required including complete reconstruction of the upper wing center section, led by Don Butterly and Bill Aitken. The project had proceeded to completion of fabric covering and application of the initial protective coats of the refinishing. It was then set aside, as priority was given to the Fleet Canuck project.

Recently, the Museum was fortunate to be offered donations of paint shop time by Dave Christian of Arrow Tech Graphics, and paint by Sherwin Williams. Too good to resist, those offers were accepted with thanks, and the INF went into the paint shop, emerging in its original 1930 factory colours: vermillian red fuselage, and silver wings and horizontal tail.

For additional information on this classic touring biplane, and the history of the CMF example, please visit the Museum website at www.canadianflight.org/content/waco-inf-0.

Photos: at top right, the INF fuselage is prepared for the top coats of paint by Bill Butler, Ralph Rowe and John Harssema; at bottom right, the vermillion red fuselage and restored classic wood instrument panel.

Please see Page 8 for a list of Museum events for 2011. Please visit our website at www.canadianflight.org for much more information on Museum activities, events and collections.

The Canadian Museum of Flight Bringing British Columbia’s Aviation Past into the Future

The Museum Volunteer…

Restoration work on the Fleet Canuck and the Waco INF has benefitted tremendously from a batch of new, enthusiatic, energetic vo- lunteers. Asked to provide Glidepath readers with a sense of what motivates a Museum volunteer, Neal de Geus tells his story:

The Fleet-80 Canuck was my introduction to flying tail-draggers, and so when one arrived at the museum several years ago for restoration I became interested in getting involved. As usual, the story of its suffering the abuses of untold rudder-stompers, bush-clippers and gravel-slingers slowly came to life as various “repairs” were discovered, particularly in one wing. I heard a fair amount of concern about the price paid and how another wing was going to be located, but at least the fuselage and engine were serviceable. Looking over the sorry looking collection of parts brought back memories.

Bob Gilmour had made my checkout interesting! A couple of feet over the ground on my second or third touch & go he pushed the left rudder petal hard, leaving us hanging at a crazy angle and me struggling to get back over the centerline and straight. It wor ked out, but seconds later he pushed the right rudder harder and I had to sort things out once again, and yet again, until we finally began a climb-out of sorts. It wasn’t long before he sent me off on my own though and I got very comfortable.

Neal de Geus with the lovely old Kinner engine of the Waco INF.

This of course was the perfect setup for not quite keeping the spinner looking straight down a runway at Pitt Meadows on landing one day. I don’t ever recall moving over to the left side of a runway that fast be- fore! Fortunately I learned to fly in Alaska where keeping thing straight down icy runways and through standing slush was 50- metimes a challenge. My passenger let out a gasp: I got things under control, somehow kept off the grass and just taxied straight ahead to the turnoff, pretending it was just part of the plan.

Finding time to show up for volunteer work at the museum was a challenge. When I had time, I’d find out from Bob Fowles that the morning crew had gone to lunch and somehow not come back or that it wasn’t a work day. During spring and summer there was plenty to do, but I was usually knocking down field crops on our farm. Each year I paid my membership and occasionally worked on something. I heard that a night crew might be working on the Canuck so I took time to leave my name, but nothing came of it and I let my membership lapse.

I was jolted from my apathy by a photo of someone I knew working on the fuselage of the Canuck and rumours that everything was ready to cover! I was going to miss out and so my membership was renewed in short order. Volunteers meet on Tuesdays to sort out who’s doing what and where so the time had come to set aside three hours on that morning from the business of loo king after dairy cows. Showing up now and again wasn’t going to work.

The Canadian Museum of Flight …
… A Facility of Many Faces and Uses

Every day is different at the Canadian Museum of Flight, as we work to encourage creative use of our facilities and our artifacts. The past months have seen a particulary interesting array of happenings. We thought we would share some of them with our readers, with the hope of triggering yet more ideas, and yet more contributions to our community by our Museum.

Vintage Wings BCATP Commemoration

This summer Vintage Wings are celebrating the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan that trained over 210,000 people during WW2 – including 50,000 pilots- under the Yellow Wings banner www.yellowwings.ca/. As part of this activity they are flying several aircraft that were notable participants in the BCATP across the country-the Harvard, Fleet Finch, Fairchild Cornell, de Havilland Tiger Moth and Stearman Kaydet. They flew their Harvard and Cornell west of the Rockies, leaving the two biplanes (Finch and Tiger Moth) in Alberta.

What a tale of Yellow Tails – a Cornell, two Harvards, a Finch and a Tiger Moth.

However, the Museum was able to fill in for some of the missing fleet by displaying As well, a locally-based Stearman was in attendance at Langley. The three biplanes flew in tribute to the efforts of the Air Training Plan, followed by a display by the Museum’s Harvard.

The three biplanes taxi in after a demonstration flight – Finch (L), Stearman (C), and Tiger Moth (R).

Blues Over the Valley

On Saturday, May 14, 2011, the Museum hosted the first annual Blues Over the Valley fundraiser – an evening of flying, food, fun and music. Festivities got under way with a flying demonstration by the Fraser Blues formation team. What a great way to start things rolling for the 100 attendees at this “blues” event. The Memphis Blues Barbeque House served up a delicious assortment of food and Langley’s very own Domaine de Chaberton Estate Winery provided a fine selection of excellent wines. The main event for the evening was an amazing performance by award- winning blues musician, James T. Byrnes. He and his four-piece blues band rocked the hangar from 8-10 pm and treated the patrons to a most entertaining and enjoyable concert. The dance floor was full for most of the concert, further reinforcing the the Museum’s Finch and Tiger Moth biplanes, accompanied by the Museum Harvard. musicians. A good time was had by all wonderful music coming from the and we look forward to the second annual blues gala to help promote and support the Museum.

IN PLEASED TO PRESENT BLUES OVER THE VALLEY CHABERTON FEATURING Page 1 -01

Langley Hospital Gala

The Museum was chosen as the location for the annual Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation Gala, held this year on 7 May When the organizers first approached us about holding their major fundraising in our Museum, we were pleased that they had thought of us but were uncertain as to how it was going to pan out. Their Executive Director, Tanya Vrionis, and her committee were super organized and could envision turning the Museum into an interesting and stunning location. Our thought was that we were giving back to the community that we service. On May 7th, a multitude of people arrived to transform the Museum into a venue that was unique to Langley – simple but elegant. The Foundation’s goal was to raise $150,000 and the Gala raised $332,000, surpassing everyone’s expectations. Our thanks go out to Tanya and all the young women who worked extremely hard to make the Gala a success and for including us in their plans. We are very grateful for their generous donation.

The Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation event planners demonstrate how elegant and interesting the Museum hangar can look.

Vintage Aero PinUp

June 26, the Museum hosted a MeetUp of the Metro Vancouver Photography Workshop, organized by Chris Pike. The Museum provided the venue and the props (pun intended), Chris provided the models dressed in appropriate period clothing, and fifteen enthusiastic photographers created the images, a selection of which are shown here.

The images confirm what we aviation enthusists all know: our displays are objects of art, character and emotion. After the event, the participants rated their MeetUp as a 5 star event. For more images, and for more information on the Metro Vancouver Photography Workshop, please visit their website www.mvpworkshops.ca; look under either “past” events or “photos” for the Vintage Aero PinUp photo gallery.

Photo credits: Top left, Garrett Resler; bottom left, Gary Deck; bottom right, Jason Lachance. Thanks to all three of you for the use of your images!

Personalities at Our Museum – Bill Findlay, Pilot and Aircraft TLC

An Interview by Carla Deminchuk

(The fifth of an ongoing series, profiling some of the personalities that make our Museum tick.)

We look forward to this interview as you are the first one from the Museum’s pilot pool to be profiled. It is a pool rich in experience. Let’s begin with a photo on our website which shows a little boy holding a paper airplane. The caption reads, “Relive the Wonder.” Can you relive your earliest quest for flight?

Glidepath

I remember as a young boy growing up in Penticton, watching the large airliners flying high over the Okanagan Valley – aircraft such as the Super Constellation and the DC-6. My thoughts at the time included thinking that being a pilot of one of those large four-engine aircraft would be a neat thing to do when I grew up. I’m not sure that I ever really grew up, but I did get to fly large four-engine airliners.

Bill Findlay

How did those early dreams become airborne?

Glidepath

When I was about 16 years old, my dad got his private pilot’s licence. My dad was able to share his flying knowledge with me and helped me develop my piloting skills.

Bill Findlay

When you think back to those early experiences. was anything imprinted upon your psyche that was always your co-pilot?

Glidepath

Bill Findlay in his element, all smiles at the controls of the CMF Harvard (photo credit Mike Biden)

Practice and safety. I also have a lasting memory of my first flight in a Stinson 108 and being absolutely fascinated by the ground disappearing from us as or strategies? we took off and everything getting smaller and smaller. career?

Bill Findlay

When did you get serious about your flying

Glidepath

In 1965 I enrolled with the Aero Club of B.C. and trained on the venerable Fleet Canuck aircraft; the same type that the museum is now restoring to flying condition. There were several career path choices available at the time and the one I chose was the Royal Canadian Air Force. I was soon undergoing pilot training on the Tutor jet at Gimli, Manitoba. I did my multi-engine training on the Beech Expeditor, and received my R.C.A.F wings in 1967. Then it was off to Summerside, PEI, to train on my preferred type of aircraft – the bombers, the heavies, the big iron. Back then, heavy metal was more than a rock band.

Bill Findlay

Tell us about those heavies?

Glidepath

I had the pleasure of flying the Neptune P2V7 at my Maritime Operational Training Unit and then spending 532-003 two tours of duty flying the mighty CP-107 Argus sub hunter at R.C.A.F Station Greenwood, Nova Scotia. The Cold War was in full-speed-ahead mode.

Bill Findlay

For those of us in civies, was the Argus akin to something like the DC-6?

Glidepath

Bill Findlay: Yes. The Argus was a Canadian-built, long- range patrol aircraft- a torpedo bomber with four big. powerful (and noisy) Wright 3350 radial engines. She was a complicated, busy airplane with all the detection gear carried on board. A crew of sixteen was required to man the crew stations on flights that often lasted for 18 to 21 hours. My flights were primarily over the North Atlantic, maintaining contact with Soviet submarines.

Bill Findlay

What do you mean by contact?

Glidepath

We maintained contact with the subs by using several onboard electronic detection systems. On occasion, the subs were detected visually as well. With load of missile weapon, a submarine was, and still is, a very potent fighting machine. We wanted to know exactly where they were at all times. (604)

Bill Findlay

Glidepath: Now that the Cold War is over for the most part. do you know if either side ever divulged any of their secrets

Glidepath

Movies like The Hunt for Red October divulge information that I wouldn’t have been able to talk about as a military person back in the 1960s. So, a lot of information has since been given out.

Bill Findlay

Can you tell us a bit about your transition from military to civilian flying?

Glidepath

My eight years in the military gave me more than enough aviation experience to then start applying to the airlines, I received telegrams indicating training course dates from CP Air and Air Canada. This was an easy choice. CP Air would get me back to Vancouver. There I started training on the Boeing 727.

Bill Findlay

How did you cope with the transition?

Glidepath

It wasn’t a hard transition, but somewhat different than the RCAF. In the military you progress according to your skill level and goals. In the airline everything is determined by your seniority number.

Bill Findlay

How long did you pilot for CP Air or the Flying Mandarins as they were known in the 1970s and ’80s?

Glidepath

I enjoyed that company for three-and-a-half years, but fleet cutbacks forced me to be laid off. I eventually secured an interview with Wardair. At Wardair I experienced the joys of flying the Boeing 707, Boeing 747, and the Airbus 310. I had the pleasure of operating the 747 jumbo jet for nine years, and regularly carried 456 passengers to Wardair’s many destinations.

Bill Findlay

That’s a lot of self-loading freight as they sometimes call passengers in the airline business. Speaking of which, did you ever meet the boss?

Glidepath

Yes. Max Ward would often come up to the cockpit for a visit then sit and chat for an hour. A wonderful man; one of Canada’s living legends.

Bill Findlay

When we were discussing your first flight as a youngster, you mentioned how you were captivated by the ground getting smaller while getting airborne in a Stinson 108. With a Boeing 747 you’re three stories high without ever leaving the ground. How would you describe roaring down the runway for the first time in a 747?

Glidepath

There was a very definite sense of aircraft size and power as the big bird rumbled down the runway, rotated its nose skyward and climbed away, easily overcoming the grasp of gravity. Every subsequent take-off with the Boeing 747 was just as exciting. Exciting too, for the passengers onboard – some going for their first ride in an aircraft.

Bill Findlay

Wardair was eventually bought out by Canadian ?

Glidepath

Wardair was bought by Canadian Airlines which in turn was taken over by Air Canada in 2001. There, I operated the Airbus 310, the 320, and the Boeing 737.1 enjoyed an exciting and rewarding airline career.

Bill Findlay

Would you recommend aviation as a career for someone who is perhaps more excited by the steam-driven gauges of yesterday vs. the glass cockpits and fly-by-wire technology of today?

Glidepath

Yes, I would. For someone just embarking upon their aviation career, it is still exciting as you develop your skill as a pilot. The lure of adventure does not have to culminate with a major airline. Look at Buffalo Airways on Ice Pilots. The excitement of aviation still exists for every one of those pilots flying older airplanes on some pretty crazy routes in some pretty crazy conditions.

Bill Findlay

Which brings us to the Museum. How did you get involved in this adventure known as the Canadian Museum of Flight?

Glidepath

Getting involved with the Museum has maintained my love for flying. I was approached by a couple of Museum flight operations members to see if I might be interested in volunteering my services to fly Museum aircraft.

Bill Findlay

In a previous article you wrote for Glidepath, you referred to the Museum’s “living aviation legacy” which is our commitment to the restoration and maintenance of an air-worthy fleet. What airplane would you like to see us restore to airworthiness next?

Glidepath

The next big project will probably be the Cornell. The Cornell will require lots of time and effort, but is a very achievable restoration. A flying Cornell would complete the CMF’s British Commonwealth Air Training Plan fleet: the Fleet Finch, Tiger Moth, Cornell, and Harvard. What a sight that will be to see all four in the air in formation at the same time. We are one of only four museums in Canada which maintain aircraft in flying condition.

Bill Findlay

A younger Bill Findlay, at the controls of the mighty CP-107 Argus patrol bomber.

I’m sure you’re asked this many times, but do you have a favourite airplane?

Glidepath

My favourite airplane is the aircraft that I’m flying at the time. Whether it’s the Harvard, Fleet Finch, Waco Cabin, my Globe Swift, the 747-whatever. They all have their own personalities.

Bill Findlay

To conclude, you have indeed relived the wonder?

Glidepath

I’ve had a very blessed career and am very thankful for it. I am happy to be able to continue doing this at the Museum. It’s a wonderful opportunity to hand prop these vintage airplanes for the adoring public blow some smoke and oil out then get airborne to produce that wonderful sound that vintage aircraft make. We are so lucky here at the Museum with all the fabulous volunteers including my fellow pilots, the ground crew, and the good folks in the front office. It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of time. Just ask my wife.

Bill Findlay

Likewise, we’d like to thank you and Eileen for your devotion.

Glidepath

Thanks. We like it here.

Bill Findlay

Around the Museum

New Directors

The Museum held its 2011 Annual General Meeting on April 30. Elections for Directors returned Bruce Bakker and Matt Offer to additional two year terms, and brought two new faces on to the Board, Inder Matharu and Guy Miller.

At the next Board meeting, the Directors selected Gord Wintrup to continue as Association President and Bruce Friesen as Secretary. Bruce Bakker accepted the position of Vice-President and Daryl Carpenter will fill the Treasurer position.

Inder Matharu:

Born in Kenya, raised in Winnipeg. Inder moved to Surrey BC approximately 15 years ago. He comes to the Museum with professional experience in several spheres from retail to financial management to international minerals development.

He joined Gord Wintrup and Bayfield in 2006 as an independent Mortgage Broker and now oversees the Broker Division. He is heavily involved in voluntary organizations including S.E.E.D.s (an entrepreneurship program), Matheson House (restoration of a heritage house). South Fraser Community Services and CYBF (Canadian Youth Business Foundation).

Guy Miller:

Guy served 9 years in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1986-1995, flying the CF-18 Hornet on tours in Bagotville, Que and Cold Lake, Ab. and was selected to become instructor pilot on the CF-18 for 410 Tactical Fighter Squadron. He left the Canadian Armed Forces for a career with an international carrier, commencing with Cathay Pacific Airways of Hong Kong in 1995. Guy and his family resided in Hong Kong from 1995-2006 where he was a line pilot and simulator instructor on the Boeing 747-400 series aircraft.

He moved to the Vancouver area in 2006/2007 and commenced work as Deputy Airport Manager at the Langley Regional Airport. Throughout the past four year time frame he has flown right wing as a member of the Fraser Blues formation demonstration team.

Museum Calendar 2011 –

July 16 July 22 Princeton Airshow Vancouver International 80th Birthday August 12-14 Abbotsford Airshow August 21 Chilliwack Airshow Sept. 10 Langley Cruise-In Sept. 17 Battle of Britain Day, Boundary Bay Sept. 24 CMF Members’ Day October 21 Teachers Prof. Development Day Nov. 6-10 Semiahmoo Mall Show Nov. 19 Movie Night at the Hangar Note: Event dates may change due to changes in circumstances such as time constraints and schedule conflicts. Please check the Museum website for the latest information or confirm dates with the Museum office closer to each event. Canadian Museum of Flight Members Day 2011 Saturday, September 24

To express its appreciation to its members, the Canadian Museum of Flight invites members to schedule flights in Museum aircraft at concessionary rates, and to join us for a crab fest and hamburgers. Please join us! Contact the Museum Office at 604 532 0035 to confirm your attendance. Photo Caption Contest Get your creative juices flowing: submit your ideas to the Editor

For more information on Canadian Museum of Flight collections, displays and events, please visit our website at www.canadianflight.org We recently expanded the section on aircraft engines at our Museum 8